PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Taj Badalandabad (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Karen Darabedyan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Darabedyan has chosen Ara Gevorgyan - Artsakh as his entrance music. Karen Darabedyan has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Taj Badalandabad
vs
Darabedyan

165 cm
19
166 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
23
167 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter striker
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Taj Badalandabad!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Karen Darabedyan!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Darabedyan fails to land with a series of punches.
Darabedyan ducks under a wild hook from Badalandabad.
Darabedyan throws a shot from downtown. Badalandabad moves away and avoids it.
Darabedyan uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Badalandabad.
Darabedyan shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Badalandabad pinned against the cage. Badalandabad gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Darabedyan tries to bum rush Badalandabad with a series of wild strikes but Badalandabad uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Darabedyan looks for a takedown but Badalandabad sprawls well.
Darabedyan shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Taj Badalandabad has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Karen Darabedyan.
Darabedyan swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Darabedyan tries to bum rush Badalandabad with a series of wild strikes but Badalandabad uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Karen Darabedyan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Badalandabad lands a nice hook to Darabedyan's body. Darabedyan takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Badalandabad avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Badalandabad closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Darabedyan to the mat! Darabedyan manages to get full guard.
Badalandabad is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

Badalandabad got a little sloppy there for a moment and Darabedyan has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Badalandabad has managed to get both his arms back between Darabedyan's legs - danger averted.
Darabedyan looks gassed!
Badalandabad with a nice head shot there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Badalandabad's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Darabedyan throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Badalandabad postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Darabedyan is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Badalandabad wants to control from the top but Darabedyan keeps moving.
Badalandabad postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Badalandabad slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Badalandabad connects with a couple of short punches.
Badalandabad working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Badalandabad stands up over Darabedyan, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Badalandabad postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Badalandabad wants to control from the top but Darabedyan keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Darabedyan is trying to keep Badalandabad in close.
Darabedyan keeping moving, preventing Badalandabad from controlling successfully.
Badalandabad with a nice head shot there.
Badalandabad wants to control from the top but Darabedyan keeps moving.
Darabedyan is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

Darabedyan is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Badalandabad is aware though and is defending well.
Badalandabad lands a couple of digs.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Badalandabad working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

Darabedyan is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Badalandabad is aware though and is defending well.
Badalandabad postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Badalandabad landing some decent shots from guard.
Darabedyan can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Badalandabad controls the pace.
Badalandabad trying to control but Darabedyan is working from the bottom.
Darabedyan is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Badalandabad working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Darabedyan's head.
Badalandabad makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Badalandabad postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Badalandabad trying to control but Darabedyan is working from the bottom.
Badalandabad has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Darabedyan is looking to stand up but Badalandabad isn't so interested in that idea.

Darabedyan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Badalandabad trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Darabedyan looking for a sweep. Not yet Darabedyan, not yet.
Badalandabad wants to control from the top but Darabedyan keeps moving.
Badalandabad is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Badalandabad tries to stand but Darabedyan is controlling from the bottom.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Badalandabad swats away the attempt to clinch by Darabedyan.
Darabedyan misses with a takedown attempt

and Badalandabad counters with a single leg into guard. Darabedyan didn't expect that.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Taj Badalandabad dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Darabedyan misses with a takedown attempt

and Badalandabad counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Badalandabad.
Badalandabad keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Darabedyan's head.
Badalandabad keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Darabedyan's head.

Darabedyan is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Badalandabad defends well.
Badalandabad postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Badalandabad looking to pass the guard.
Badalandabad trying to control the position from guard on top but Darabedyan is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Darabedyan looking to control.
Darabedyan is breathing heavily.
Badalandabad is looking to work some ground and pound but Darabedyan has wrist control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Badalandabad wants to pass the guard but Darabedyan is keeping the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Darabedyan stuffs the takedown.
Karen Darabedyan is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Darabedyan shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Badalandabad's guard.
Badalandabad preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

Darabedyan stands and steps away. Badalandabad gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Darabedyan tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Badalandabad paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Darabedyan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Badalandabad moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Darabedyan shoots and misses

and Badalandabad counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Darabedyan is in trouble now - Badalandabad has advanced to mount!
Badalandabad working Darabedyan over with strikes here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Darabedyan wants to hold on but Badalandabad pushes him away.
Badalandabad lands with some strikes.
Badalandabad pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Badalandabad looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Darabedyan manages to regain half guard. Good work.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Badalandabad seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Badalandabad is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Darabedyan bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Darabedyan trying to control but Badalandabad is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Darabedyanis looking to pass into half guard but Badalandabad pushes him away with his feet and jumps on top - now Badalandabad is in guard.
Badalandabad trying to control but Darabedyan is working from the bottom.

Darabedyan has his feet on Badalandabad's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Some wild striking there from Darabedyan.
Darabedyan doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Badalandabad counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Badalandabad.
Taj Badalandabad has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Karen Darabedyan.

Darabedyan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Badalandabad controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darabedyan keeping moving, preventing Badalandabad from controlling successfully.
Badalandabad distracts Darabedyan with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Darabedyan wants to stand but Badalandabad is controlling the position.
Badalandabad lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Taj Badalandabad overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Badalandabad trying to control the position from guard on top but Darabedyan is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Badalandabad stands up over Darabedyan, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Darabedyan gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

so Badalandabad counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Badalandabad lands a couple of digs.
Darabedyan tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Darabedyan working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Badalandabad doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Badalandabad manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Taj Badalandabad dominated that second round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Badalandabad scores with a takedown into Darabedyan's guard.
Darabedyan manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Badalandabad manages to get himself to full guard.

Darabedyan gets to his feet. Badalandabad looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Darabedyan tries to clinch

and Badalandabad counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Darabedyan is looking to escape.
Badalandabad lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Badalandabad is trying to control. Darabedyan wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Darabedyan gets back to full guard.
Badalandabad slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Badalandabad trying to control but Darabedyan is working from the bottom.
Darabedyan wants to stand up but Badalandabad is controlling him.
Badalandabad wants to control from the top but Darabedyan keeps moving.

Darabedyan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Badalandabad looking to pass the guard.
Darabedyan wants to sweep here but Badalandabad controlling him for the moment.
Badalandabad trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Darabedyan manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
Darabedyan is looking to stand up but Badalandabad won't let him.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Badalandabad uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Darabedyan.
Darabedyan misses with a double jab.

Badalandabad darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Badalandabad lands with a punch from half guard.
Darabedyan has a hand on Badalandabad's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Badalandabad takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Badalandabad is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Badalandabad lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Darabedyan hang on?
Badalandabad in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Darabedyan tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Badalandabad looking to control and managing it successfully.
Badalandabad landing shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darabedyan regains half guard.
Darabedyan trying to control but Badalandabad postures up.
Badalandabad wants to control but Darabedyan is keeping him busy.
Badalandabad looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Darabedyan with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Badalandabad trying to control the action but Darabedyan is working from the bottom.

Darabedyan makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Darabedyan misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Karen Darabedyan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Taj Badalandabad is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
A punch combination from Darabedyan misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Taj Badalandabad showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Badalandabad has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Taj Badalandabad!